Linux partitions and installations question

[Jonny Two Shoes]

This may seem like such a noob question to the Linux l33ts!!!! (I tried a google or two and I can only see info about dual booting and installing ubuntu with partImage etc or even installing multiple verions of Ubuntu...this is not what I want )

Anyway just as in Windows you have a ProgramFiles folder and as you install programs so your hard drive/partition fills up. If it gets too full you can always tell it to install to another partition or drive and Windows automatically inserts another ProgramFiles folder in the second partition/drive and links everything up nicely. That way there is no space issue of course.

In Linux, specifically Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy which is what I recently started with, how is this handled?

I have an 80gig drive...not much I know but it's what I have for now. I want to install or rather re-install Ubuntu (I buggered it up too much and have to Re - but it's the only way I learn ) but I want to partition and install only on a 40 Gig partition. It will help me seperate and organise movies/music/downloads from all the other clutter as well. However I'm worried what will happen if the first partition starts to fill up from all the apt-gets and installations.

How does one go about installing say apt-get install sauerbraten or apt-get install warsow to the other partition if there is not enough space on the first?? if that makes sense? Ubuntu usually just installs it all for you with no option to select a drive if I recall correctly.

To go even further, even if you are installing a source or even tarball I think they call it, how do you tell it to use another drive/partition? I don't recall it ever giving me an option and I haven't seen a way, at least not immediately.

 

[stepper]

The basic Ubuntu install requires about 4GB max, so a 20GB root "/ " partition will be enough, and use the rest as your "/home" partition.

 

[Jonny Two Shoes]

Aha!!

I recall when installing Ubuntu the first time there was the "/" option and there was also the "/home" option and I assumed as much after getting used to Linux that this is what it was for.

Ok so what you are saying is that it will automatically use the /home partition for all my installations? If so, this will help.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

sauerbraten?

njam njam YUMZORS!!!

/home is for all your data files - where you store your own data files and other personal stuff (and where the BOFH snoops to do an rm -rf *)

/ is for program files etc - which only root can install

You also have the option of not using a separate partition for the /home partition at all - but this requires an advanced installation.

 

[Jonny Two Shoes]

Hmmmmm...eish now you is confuzzing me.

Firstly have you never played the game Sauerbraten?? AKA Cube2? (njam njam YUMZORS??? lol)
It has got to be the most awesome free online FPS with good graphics I have seen in a long time, and it's in the Ubuntu Add/Remove list. but I think I installed it by downloading seperately as I don't know if the Add/Remove list had the latest version.

Ok so the personal stuff @ /home I understand now, I think...I can store all my music, videos, photo's etc here.

The games? What about those? If I install Sauerbraten which is itself maybe 300meg it will occupy space on my root / partition. What if my root / partition is full, where and how then can I install Sauerbraten if I don't want to clear up space. (just using the program Sauerbraten for the example as it sounds funny to me )

 

[.Froot.]

I have a 30GB partition for my whole Linux installation (Ubuntu Hardy with KDE,KDE4,Gnome and a total of over 2000apps). I have 4.5GB of apt cache files and still have 15GB of space left. I do however use another partition for my personal documents and files (ie mydocuments from M$) but did not allocate a specific partition or anything special.

I would say that 40GB is more than ample space for a spacious installation and /home.

 

[Jonny Two Shoes]

Hmmm OK thanks froot....so no worries then.

The only one other tiny concern is if I run Virtual Machines as well, this also takes plenty spasie. However then again I *assume* most if not all Virtual Machines allow you to cut/paste the actual vm file anywhere you want including VirtualBox and VMWare....*holds thumbs* and also when you install WINE, some of the Windows games also take plenty spasie

 

[.Froot.]

VirtualBox I know does allow you to move your vm file, but VMware does not.

 

[milomak]

I am pretty sure I saw when looking for something else either yum or apt being able to install to a directory you specify. Will see if I can find that again.

As for installing from source, the ./configure command almost always has an option that specifies where you want the program installed.

So essentially you could set up a partition, mount it as /programs and tell ./configure to install to it. I suspect it will still put the binary in /usr/bin. Though there's probably an option to change that too.